It All Comes Back to Her
by Hemione Jean Weasley
Summary: what would have happened if Katniss never volunteered to take Prim's place in the games? Will she still fall in love with Peeta? Will Prim make it home to Katniss? What will happen to Peeta?
1. The Reaping

Chapter one: The Reaping

"Primrose Everdeen!" calls Effie. A strangled cry comes to my throat.

"NO!" I shout, "She's too young! You can't make her! Prim!" I scream as loud as I can.

She turns around and looks at me, tears running down her face. Slowly she turns from me and makes her way to the stage. I can't do anything but stand there, too shocked to make my feet move, to make me cry out and volunteer. And then it's too late, they have moved on to the boys.

"Here we go," says Effie as she pulls some poor unlucky kids name from the ball, "Peeta Mellark, our district 12, male tribute!" No one cheers, no one claps. Everyone just stays frozen, pitying the poor souls who got picked, pitying my sister. My kid sister. Who I will probably never see again once the games are over. And pitying him. The boy, the boy that saved my life all those years ago. The boy that I've never been able to thank for the bread. And now I probably never will, he'll be dead after the games. I'm sure of it.

A peacekeeper leads me up the stone steps of the justice building, down a long hallway and into a little room. And I see her. Prim. Sitting alone in a chair that is much too big for her small body. I can see tear tracks etched into her face, even though she is trying not to look upset. I walk close to her and we just stare at each other, for how long I don't know and I don't care, I just want to be able to get a really good look at her one last time, to see her long blonde hair that falls in perfect waves around her face, her beautiful seam eyes and her flawless skin. Soon she is pulling me into a hug and we both start to cry. I pick her up and set her on my lap and hold her. I softly stroke her hair as silent tears run down my cheek.

"I'm sorry," I say pathetically.

"Why?" she asks.

"For not volunteering, I should have, I wasn't thinking clearly," I explain.

"I'm glad you didn't. I never would've forgiven you if you did," she says softly.

"Be careful, always be alert, don't accept any alliances unless you think you can truly trust the person," I say, she nods, "and take this, as your token," I press a small pin into her hand. It's a mockingjay, carrying an arrow in its beak. The mayor's daughter, Madge gave it to me the first time we met. She was the closest thing to a friend I had, besides Gale.

"Are you sure Katniss?" asks Prim.

"Positive," I say, smiling. She smiles back.

"Take care of Buttercup for me."

"Sure thing, my little duck. I love you," I say sadly.

"Love you too Katniss"

The peacekeeper comes over and leads me out of the room. I say I want to go see Peeta and he leads me to another small room. I enter and see Peeta sitting on the same purple armchair that Prim was sitting on.

"Hi," I say awkwardly.

"Um hi," he says, a look of confusion on his face.

"Look, I know we don't really know each other, but I had to thank you"

"Uh... for what?"

"Well you probably don't remember this, but a few years ago you burnt some bread at your family's bakery. Your mom told you to give it to the cow out back but..." I say

"I gave it to you," he finishes for me.

"Yeah," I say, "why?"

"Because I don't like seeing people go hungry. It's just not fair."

"Hmm..." I say, I think I like this guy. He seems nice, he's gorgeous and he saved my life. By my calculations that makes a good friend. Too bad I don't have more time to get to know him.

"I'm really sorry about your sister being picked. It's not right," he says sadly, "nothing the capitol does is right." I decide I do like him, anyone who doesn't like the capitol can't be that bad.

"Yeah um thanks," I say. We stand in silence for a minute. Then it gets to me and I'm about to burst into tears when I shout "you have to protect her! Please, you have to!" I begin to sob.

"Don't worry Katniss; I'll do anything I can to keep her safe"


	2. The Train Ride

Chapter two: The Train Ride

Peeta's POV:

"Don't worry Katniss; I'll do anything I can to keep her safe"

She has no idea what the real message behind that means. She just thinks I'll protect her sister. Because I'm nice. Because I gave her the bread. But the connection runs much deeper than that. It has nothing to do with Prim. Believe me, I have nothing against her, if I did I wouldn't promise to risk my life to save her, it's just it's not about me keeping Prim alive. It's about making Katniss happy, making her like me, making her love me, because I love her. I have ever since I laid eyes on her. She had those beautiful seam eyes, you know? That perfect grey colour. The colour that doesn't make her look dull and dead, but the exact opposite, alive and bubbly. And if there is one sure fire way to make her fall in love with me, it's to make sure Prim comes home.

I am escorted to the train station, where the vultures, I mean camera crew, are waiting. Waiting to see my face so they can broadcast it all over the news, "Hey look everyone! This kid is about to be murdered! Yay!" Yep, that seems about right, the Capitol people buying into the cruelty that is the Hunger Games... and enjoying it. But then I tell myself "No! Cut it out! If you want to save Prim and yourself, you can't have any doubts, you have to go into that arena confident. Assure yourself that you WILL make it home." And if I think that, then maybe, just maybe, I really can make it home alive.

Prim's POV:

My hour for goodbyes is up and I am escorted to the train station, where I will begin my one way trip to the capitol. I'm not sure how long it will take to get there, but since training is a week long and the games start in two, I'm guessing it takes about a week to get there. Hmm... maybe Panem is bigger than I thought.

The car pulls up to the station and I am led inside, where at least one hundred people are waiting, armed with cameras, microphones and other objects that I'm not really sure what they are. Then I realize why they must be there. Because of me, because of him, because of the tributes. The train stations in the other districts must be just as busy as ours right now. Huh, that's different, the train stations being busy. No one is allowed to leave the districts, the only reason we have the stations are so the capitol can deliver supplies and such, so it's odd for them to be busy. But I guess it's like that once every year, the day of the reaping, when all the camera teams are here to broadcast us leaving our district, and for 23 of us, it will be the last time.

A chill runs through my spine at this thought, because it's true, this could and probably will be the last time I see district 12, not that it's a gorgeous thing to look at, but still anything is nicer to look at then an arena full of corpses. I tell myself to stop thinking like that, it's disgusting, and there is no way I am going to give up that easily. I can't. I have to be able to help mother with the ill and injured. I have to give buttercup love and attention. Katniss is going to feed him, but it's not enough, he needs love and support, and that's my job. But most importantly I need to come home for Katniss, I can't leave her with mother, who is ill, all alone, she needs someone to talk to. And that's why I am determined to come home. But determination won't be enough. I will need to train, I mean really train, which includes hunting, killing and any other form of combat which I hate, but if it means making it home, I'll do whatever it takes.


	3. Epilogue

**Hey guys! So this story didn't turn out like I thought, I just wasn't motivated enough to write it. But I couldn't not finish it, so here is the epilogue. You fill in the blanks. This takes place just after the games are finished. Hope you enjoy, read and review please !**

"_Katniss,_

_I can't do this. The tributes, they are like machines. I don't stand a chance. The only station I was good at was the one for herbs and medicine. I could barely throw the knife five feet. I tried I really did. I just can't do it. I will still try my hardest to come home, I will. But if I don't, take care of Buttercup for me, okay? And Lady. And mum. I know you said if I believe that I can win, that I will win, but it just doesn't seem possible. But I will try._

_I think you'll like what I'm wearing to the opening ceremonies! I'm not allowed to say what it is, but trust me, you'll like it. I think you would like my stylist. His name is Cinna, he is sweet and kind. And he doesn't want me to be all dolled up for the ceremonies, he said he wanted to show my natural beauty, isn't that cool?_

_I'm scared Katniss. This is a serious competition, and I'm the weakest one. Do you really think I can win? Maybe, if I stay away from everyone and hide in the trees (if there are trees) then when the last few come to find me, I can pick them off from up above. That would be awesome, not the killing, just the fact that I would get to come home. But I can make it home, well you think I can, right? And I trust you more than anyone in this world, so if you think I can make it home, then I believe you. So I will try my hardest to train, really train, and learn how to kill, hunt and perform any other type of combat that I hate, so that I will come home. If you believe in me, I know I can do it. I know I will make it home, because you are there, waiting to see me, and I'm here, waiting to see you. Wish me luck, Katniss. I love you. I'll see you soon._

_Love Prim"_

Those were her last words to me, "I'll see you soon." But she won't see me, and I won't see her. Never again. Because she's dead. He tried to save her, he really did. He kept his promise, he even took a spear to the heart to try to keep her alive, but it didn't work. He died and so did she. I'll never be able to repay the boy with the bread, because he's gone to somewhere I can't be. When the spear hit him, he told Prim to run, but she wouldn't. They were allies and she wouldn't leave his side. That's how they killed her, they snuck up on her while she was grieving. Although he died, his last words were spoken to me and I'll always remember them, "I tried." That's all he said, but those two words meant the world to me. It meant that he really had tried to save her, he gave up his life for her, for me. Slowly he bled to death with Prim watching, tears silently pouring down her face. There was nothing she could do. She held his hand until the very end, long after it had gone limp. She still clutched it when the hovercraft came and raised the two fallen tributes into the sky. 19 canons before hers. The one that killed her, killed Peeta too. She's the one that won. Her name is Clove.

From her letter, I can tell that she actually had learned something from all those hunting trips that I thought were useless. She learned to keep to the trees. That was her plan, "pick them off from up above." But Clove got there first, while Prim was still grieving, Clove made her way into the forest. Later, while Prim was still with Peeta she snuck up the tree behind her and shot her with an arrow. It was relatively quick, straight through her head. The pain only lasted a couple minutes, and then she was gone. She fell forward, and I could just make out a little duck tail in the back of her uniform, before the hovercraft came and took her away. My little duck.

I put the letter aside and slip into my hunting boots, I feel the soft leather caress my feet. Hunting is my only source of comfort now. Mother doesn't talk to me, and I don't talk to her. I'm fine that way, talking to her only makes it worse. I have Gale, and Madge and Greasy Sae. I open the door and feel the bitter frost nip at my uncovered skin, it is the end of march, but it is still freezing. I look out into the barren wasteland that is district 12 and notice something; a glimmer of hope. Peeking out, against all odds, from the snow covered ground, is a single yellow dandelion. I pick it up and feel my spirits lift, if only a little bit.

When I arrive at our meeting place, he's already there. Gale. Whenever he sees me now, he greets me with a look of sympathy and sorrow. Something I didn't think he was capable of feeling. He grabs my hands and gently guides me down to the rock and tells me to sit. I do.

"I've been thinking," he says. When I don't respond, he takes it as his cue to continue, "We could do it you know? Run away. We've got nothing to lose now. Poppy's dead, and my mom can look after the rest. I've taught my brothers enough to be able to sustain the family, they know how to hunt well enough. And of course, my mom will look after yours. And that's everyone taken care of." The list is too short, there should be at least one other name on there, if not two. But I have to admit, it does sound like a good plan. Prim is gone and she was the only one I looked after. And mother, but who cares, she didn't take care of us when father died. Gale's mom can look after her, just fine. So if everyone is taken care of, why shouldn't we run away? We have no life here anyways! And if we get caught and they kill us, well, like I said, we don't have lives here. But what about Buttercup, and Lady?

"I can't. I promised her I would take care of Buttercup and Lady if she couldn't anymore." I refuse to say the "D" word.

"My mom will know, and so will yours, they need to be looked after. They won't just leave them." He says.

"But she asked _me _to look after them, no one else."

"As long as they are looked after, that's all she'll care about. And besides, don't you think she would rather want you to escape than be bound here because of her animals, that someone else can look after?" he asks.

I do. So for the first time in my life, I run through the forest, and I don't turn back. Together, Gale and I wonder, what really is on the other side?


End file.
